Unedited.
Aarna's POV:
"Aarna!!!" I heard the grumpy voice of Dhruv from outside the room.
"Five more minutes please," I replied, chuckling at his impatient voice.
"How much time will you need? Just come out dammit. We have to go there before the reception gets over but if it goes like this, I am sure, we have to witness his wife's baby shower." He again shouted.
Yeah. We both are going to attend the wedding reception of one of his clients. Since I decided to wear a saree, now I was in Athayya's room to get ready for the wedding as she was helping me with the saree and this guy was getting impatient, saying that it was getting late and wondering why women need so much time.
"Idiot, stop making circles in front of my room. We, women, take our sweet time to make ourselves look even more beautiful than usual. So go and wait downstairs like a good child, otherwise, I will break your legs." Athayya who was adjusting the pleats of my saree shunned him away so nicely.
After not hearing any response from the other side, we both presumed that he must have gone downstairs as she was shoving the unruly hair strands that were poking out of the slightly lopsided tousled bun that she had styled my hair into.
"This guy! So impatient for every damn thing." She grumbled as she once again adjusted my saree.
I chuckled at her words and stood in front of the mirror to have a good look at myself.
"Woah! I am looking so pretty as always. " I giggled as she shook her head slightly with a smile.
"Yeah. You are. Now go before that idiot comes here again," she said and I opened the door before nodding at her.
When I was descending the stairs, I saw him arguing with Gramps and Mamayya.
"What's the deal with this guy today?" I thought with a sigh and shook my head before walking up to them.
When he sensed my presence, he immediately looked at me with a somewhat admiring gaze, if I wasn't mistaken, which he had managed to mask immediately.
I scoffed at his obvious behavior before marching outside, following him closely.
Once we were in the car, all the way he kept on passing me the side glances which started to irk me like hell.
"Stop giving me those creepy looks. Just say it if I look beautiful. You know, you won't get killed for complementing your wife." I said while rolling my eyes.
Hearing my words, he rubbed his nose awkwardly as I bit back my smile and he avoided looking at me again throughout our remaining journey.
After reaching the venue, I started walking carefully to not trip on my saree when I heard him mumbling in a low voice.
"Delusional fool," he muttered while walking along with me.
I glared at him as I knew he was referring to my earlier words in the car.
Cocky jerk.
I mentally scolded him and gasped immediately when I felt a hand on the exposed skin of my waist which sent shivers all down through my whole body. I looked down to see that hand belongs to non-other than the Jerk husband of mine.
I tried to remove his grip on my waist but he smiled at me which infuriated me further.
"Darling, let me lend you a hand, lest you might fall and you don't need to thank me for this favor." He said with an innocent face.
Favor, my foot.
It was obviously taking advantage of the situation. I grimaced and let him hold me as his wish.
He didn't remove his hold even when we were congratulating the couple. I shook my head helplessly as we were descending the stairs of the stage.
While doing so, my feet thought that it was the right time to betray me as I felt myself tripping on my own foot when he held me securely in his hold.
"See. I am so awesome..right. I know. Alas..we ought to be when we are walking with the person who always trips on their way every now and then." He shook his head like he had stuck with an ignorant kid all his life.
"Can you stop irritating me at every given chance?" I asked him helplessly as his cocky behavior was getting out of the hands now.
"I was just being truthful, you ungrateful fool," saying this, he went towards the food section as I went to an isolated place and settled myself in a chair there.
Once I sat on the chair, I instantly removed my heels and started massaging my sole as they were aching like hell.
"Why bother wearing them when you are obviously uncomfortable in them?" A sudden voice startled me but before I could respond, an ice cream bowl appeared in front of my face.
Glancing at the person, I took the bowl from him and started scooping it into my mouth as he kneeled in front of me, completely catching me off guard.
I protested when he started pressing my feet gently but soon stopped doing so as I started enjoying it.
"You aren't going to wear those damn heels again. See how bad your feet have become. Idiot, what should I do with you?" He kept on rambling to himself as I bit back my smile at his obvious concern.
After a while, he took a seat beside me as I was still devouring the ice cream. He started humming a tune in a low voice while looking at some particular direction with a smile.
"Seems like someone is in a good mood today," I said while glancing in the direction that he was looking at, to know what made him smile like a fool.
Except for a couple and their baby, I hadn't noticed anything that was out of place. So I was wondering what made him smile like that when he answered my unasked question.
"I am having the glimpse of myself in the next five years," he said with a chuckle while pointing to that married couple where the husband was handing the water to his wife while consoling his grumpy kid on the other hand whereas his wife was full busy gobbling the food that was in front of her.
I giggled looking at that scene and glanced at him.
Is this his indirect way of saying that he is serious about our relationship and an assurance that he will never leave me?
"See, being the big foodie, you will definitely give all the priority to the food rather than to your husband, and being the poor me, I have to take care of our kids too while serving you." He explained while his eyes were glowing with a glint.
"So you mean to say that I am so ignorant?" I fake glared at him.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Stop being mean otherwise I will never give birth to your kids," I warned him.
He immediately looked at me with a frown.
"I want a little girl and a boy," he said, ignoring my words.
"I don't want to give birth to your kids," I huffed at him.
"Oh. Then we can adopt one," he said while looking into my eyes.
"What! Are you serious?" I asked him cautiously.
"Yeah."
"You really don't mind it?" I again asked him as my mind drifted with the thoughts of Chinnu.
"Why will I but we can do it after a year or so."
Just like that, all my hopes got disappeared as I started thinking about whether to tell him about chinnu or not.
"Dhruv, I have something to tell you," I gestured to him nervously to move a little forward.
When he did, I bit down my lips and mustered some courage to tell him.
"Before our marriage, I decided to adop-" My words got interrupted by the sudden ringing of his mobile phone. He immediately rejected the call and looked back at me to continue what I was saying but again it started ringing.
Seeing this, he gestured me to stop for a while as he attended the call in front of me. From his words, I got to know it was Athayya who called him to ask why we both weren't home yet!
After ending the call, he looked at me to continue but I shook my head and stood up from the chair while wearing the heels.
"Nothing. Let's go. It's getting late." I said while walking ahead.
"Wait, Aaru. Are you sure that there is nothing?" He asked me while catching up to me.
"Yes." I sounded firm.
"If you say so," saying this, he gave me the 'I don't believe you' look.
He greeted back the people who greeted him on our way to the parking lot as I was still immersed in my thoughts.
"Are you okay?" He gently asked me once we got settled in the car.
I nodded at him slightly as he sighed at my behavior.
When we reached home, I directly headed to our room to get freshen up and by the time, I came outside, I saw him doing something on my phone with a frown marring his features.
"Who is he?" He asked me while showing the screen to me.
I hurriedly walked towards him and snatched that phone from his hand.
"Why did you open my phone without my permission?" I asked him angrily.
"Sorry, it wasn't my intention to do it but hearing the constant budging, I thought there was some kind of emergency. So I unlocked your phone only to see the pictures of this guy. Now tell me who is that guy?" He asked me while raising his eyebrows at me.
"How do you know the password?"
"Password is your birth year and seeing your personality, there was nothing hard in guessing it. Now let's focus on the main topic. Who is he?" He again asked me while looking at me intently
Unable to lie under his gaze, I blurted out the words that came to my mouth while closing my eyes.
"My son,"
"What!" He looked at me with a shocked face.
"Yes. He is my son." After some time, all my nervousness flew out of the window as I told him proudly.
"What! How!" He gave me a stupified look.
Seeing this, I suddenly have an urge to do a thing that would prove my importance in his life and would give an answer to all my insecurities.
"Yes. He is my son. I lied to you when I said that I was not in any relationship in the past. I truly loved a guy in the past and we both were in a serious relationship. He broke up with me when he had to leave for abroad. I was so heartbroken at that time and on top of that, I got to know that I was pregnant. I didn't have the heart to abort the baby, so I gave birth to him and everyone in my family knew about this. That's why they married me to you so hurriedly. Sorry for deceiving you like this." I told him, mixing up all the stories that I have read and watched from the stories and dramas with a sorry face.
He was looking like he was having a hard time digesting all the information as he looked at me with a blank expression.
"Does his father know about his existence?"
I shook my head in denial, conveying that he didn't know about it.
He sighed sadly while burying his head in his hands, making me feel guilty because of the stunt I was pulling.
"Are you still in love with that guy? Where is your son?" He asked me after some time
"He is living in the orphanage." Hearing this, he immediately stood up from the bed and marched towards me.
"Orphanage! Seriously..how can you do this?" He asked me ferociously while gripping my shoulder tightly.
"How can you? How can you do this to your own blood? Whatever happened in your past, what's that little guy's fault in all these? I never thought you would do something like this. If you are worried about my opinion, then let me tell you I will treat him as my own and I will never judge you because of your past. Everyone has their past. Just like how you have accepted mine, I am willing to accept yours. Let's bring him home..okay? I will take care of everyone. Trust me." Hearing his words, relief washed over me, and a smile formed on my lips as my eyes teared up a little.
"Why are you laughing like that, idiot?"
I shook my head a little and placed my head on his chest while hugging him tightly.
"Thank you, Dhruv" I thanked him wholeheartedly for saying the words I wanted to hear.
"No need to thank me. Let's bring him home tomorrow." He said, thinking that I thanked him for accepting my son in my non-existent story.
"Aarna. Are you still in love with that guy?" He asked me in a low tone.
"What if I say 'yes', what will you do then?" Raising my head, I questioned him while looking into his eyes.
"Then I won't stop you if you want to get back together with him. If possible, please try to give that little guy a happy family and don't let him live like an orphan." He said in a low tone, not looking at me whilst removing his hold around my waist.
"Oh. You want me to leave you so that you can live happily with your Ex?" I glared at him angrily for talking like he was giving up on me. I agree I shouldn't have tested him in that way but if he truly started having feelings for me, why wasn't he fighting for me. Instead, he wanted to become a great person.
"What! When did I say that?" He looked at me in confusion
"You didn't but your words indirectly implied that meaning. Mind you, I don't care about anything if you dare to think about leaving me, I will kill you then and there itself. Moreover, when you have feelings for someone, you should fight for them instead of letting them go..hmph. " I huffed while crossing my hands over my chest.
"I agree we should fight for them but if it is about their happiness, I would rather be ready to bear all the pain than being a hurdle in their pursuit of happiness. It's not that they are not worthy of my efforts and I am willing to give up on them but their happiness matters to me a lot. So go and find him if your happiness lies with him." He said while looking at the other side.
"Tell this while looking into my eyes,"
"I..I can't," he said in a defeated tone
"I can't but it doesn't change anything..right. Even if I am willing to accept your past and want to be part of your present and future, I can't tie you down with our relationship if you still have feelings for that guy. So please think wise-" I cut him off while placing my lips on his' while tiptoeing on my feet.
He seemed to be surprised at first but soon he started reciprocating the kiss as he started kissing me hard like he was pouring his all feelings into the kiss.
After a while when we pulled back from the kiss, I looked into his eyes as I said my next words carefully.
"Dumbo. The only person I have feelings for is YOU." I said while meeting his eyes.
"It is a fact that will never get changed. Get this into your head and think carefully before spouting all that non-sense. If you were to want to get back together with your Ex, I wouldn't let you go without fighting for you. I would fight for you with my will. Instead of assuming everything, I will let you decide whom you want to live with. I would never give up on you until you said that you wouldn't want to be with me."
"So stop assuming things and fight for a person when it is necessary even if it means to take a step down. It won't hurt us in doing so, in return when we get to live with the person we love."
"Moreover I was never in any relationship in the past. You are the first guy who made my heart flutter at your mere sight itself. So all the things I have said earlier were rubbish except for the fact that the little guy is my son. I chanced upon meeting him just before our marriage. His parents died in an accident and I felt some kind of connection with him. That was the moment I decided to take care of him all my life."
"I am truly sorry for lying to you but I seriously need answers to some questions and I got them. So I am so relieved to get those answers and I won't force you to accept that guy but if you are still willing to accept him as our son, please let me know because my heart is aching for him. There wasn't a day that passed without thinking about him. I can't live with these worries.
"He is so grumpy. Even if he is just seven months old, he aced in throwing tantrums and I seriously want to be part of his every special moment. I want to witness him growing in front of me. So please don't take too much time to get to a decision. Just because I can't provide him a family, I can't stop others from doing so." I told him while imagining the toothless giggles of Chinnu with the teary eyes.
"We will bring him home soon," His sudden words pulled me out of my reverie as I looked at him for confirmation.
He nodded at me firmly and said," Let me look into the adoption procedures. We will officially welcome him into our family then."
Hearing this, I pounced on him while thanking him so profusely.
"But I have yet to forgive you for pulling that stunt. So be ready to face the punishment." He said while tightening his hold as I nodded at him profusely with a smile, making him chuckle.
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